The matchup raised some eyebrows at first. After all, top contender Souza (23-4 MMA, 6-1 UFC), ranked No. 4 in the USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA middleweight rankings, went from a scheduled headliner against ex-champ and No. 3 Luke Rockhold to the unranked Boetsch (20-10 MMA, 11-9 UFC) in a matter of months.

But what may have struck some as an odd choice, Souza explains, wasn’t that much a choice.

“My idea was to fight – that was my goal,” Souza told MMAjunkie ahead of Feb. 11’s UFC 208 middleweight scrap at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, N.Y. “I accepted everyone that was offered to me, and I accepted Boetsch. So it was kind of, I had to accept. There’s only that option. It’s him or him.”

Souza hasn’t fought since May 2016, when he TKO’d Vitor Belfort in the first-round of their home country UFC 198 fight to bounce back from a split-decision setback to Yoel Romero at UFC 194 in December 2015. He was supposed to have returned at November’s UFC Fight Night 101 before an injured Rockhold had to withdraw from their rematch headliner.

After a rough patch, heavy-hitter Boetsch comes in on the heels of back-to-back knockouts wins, having most recently finished Rafael Natal in the first round at UFC 205.

Souza is well aware of the dangers brought on by “The Barbarian,” an adversary that, rankings aside, he’s certainly not overlooking.

“My opponent is trouble,” Souza said. “He has a very hard hand – it can make it difficult for any opponent. His hook makes it tough. He’s very strong and his wrestling is very good, as well. So to sum it all up, he’s trouble.”

As far as title pictures go, Souza is commonly put on the same boat as fellow countryman and welterweight contender Demian Maia – both seemingly at arms length of a title shot that keeps eluding them.

Considering Souza’s very vocally title-driven past, it would seem logical that a win over Boetsch would prompt him to ask for a shot immediately, right? Well, not necessarily.

“My goal is to beat (Boetsch),” Souza said. “And the belt is something that will happen. In my understanding, I have to beat everyone – everyone the UFC puts in front of me until they give me the opportunity. That’s my goal, and that’s my focus.”

After coming to terms with the fact he’s probably not the next challenger to champ Michael Bisping’s crown, the Brazilian grappling expert believes it’s most likely former foe Romero who till take the spot. And he certainly feels some kind of way about the pairing.

“I believe (Bisping vs. Romero) will happen,” Souza said. “The dirty one, because Romero is a dirty fighter, against the chicken, the scared one – Bisping. So it will be kind of a weird fight. The dirty (fighter) against the chicken. I believe this will be the fight.”

UFC 208 may be Souza’s first time fighting in New York, but it won’t be his first time weighing in there. In November, he became a side attraction at UFC 205’s early weigh-ins when, in spite of not being part of the card, he showed up and stepped onto the scale.

Souza explains he was called by the UFC on eight days’ notice to go all the way to the Big Apple and serve as back-up in case a middleweight had to drop out of his clash. And while he’d love to explain what exactly happened there, he first needs to be able to figure it out himself.

“It was crazy,” Souza recalled. “Being called just a few days before an event like this to fill in for one of the tough guys who could end up not fighting? All I knew is I had to be there, on weight, in case they needed me to come in.

“Nobody does that. I did it because I’m crazy, and I proved that if the UFC needs me, at any time, I’ll be ready to go to work. And that was the goal. The goal is the show, fighting for the fans, doing what the fans want.”

Souza ended up not making the 185-limit – but explained he was well on his way before being told that, as a backup, 189 pounds would suffice. He never needed to replace anyone, and the Weidman vs. Romero scrap ended in the third-round TKO that put the Cuban fighter in prime position for a title shot.

If it does come to Romero vs. Bisping, Souza sees better odds for Romero – but warns that Bisping’s ability to keep the pace for five rounds could serve as an advantage against an opponent who he believes loses steam.

Technical breakdowns aside, he’s got a personal preference as well.

“I like rematches,” Souza said. “I never lost a rematch. A rematch with Romero would be nice.”

And, while we’re on the subject of rematches, Souza still has his questions as to why the do-over with Rockhold never came to fruition.

“Luke ran,” Souza said. “That’s all I can say about this. Both against him and against Romero, I lost to the judges. I was going to prove this now, but unfortunately Luke either got hurt or pretended he got hurt. I don’t know.”